Device, method, and graphical user interface for searching, filtering and displaying event-aligned information sets related to diabetes

ABSTRACT

A device, method, and graphical user interface for displaying diabetes related information sets aligned by the occurrence of a particular event are disclosed. After receiving a request for an event-aligned display of diabetes related information based on an event, a search for a plurality of tagged occurrences of the event and retrieval of an information set for each of the plurality of tagged occurrences is provided. Each information set may include diabetes related information chronologically related to the tagged occurrence. The retrieved information sets is displayed on a display, wherein the retrieved information sets are shown on the display aligned by their tagged occurrences such that all diabetes related information is positioned relative the event based on its chronological relationship with the event.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/481,956,filed Jun. 10, 2009.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to displaying diabetes relatedinformation, and in particular to a graphical user interface and devicedisplaying diabetes related information sets aligned by the occurrenceof a particular event and a method thereof.

BACKGROUND

For people with diabetes, regular testing of their blood glucose levelcan be an important part of diabetes management. For example, portablehandheld medical diagnostic devices are often employed to measureconcentrations of biologically significant components of bodily fluids,such as, for example, glucose concentration in blood. To test glucosewith a glucose meter, a small sample of blood may be placed on adisposable test strip. The portable handheld glucose meter may include astrip port that receives the disposable test strip. The test strip maybe coated with chemicals (glucose oxidase, dehydrogenase, or hexokinase)that combine with glucose in blood. The portable handheld glucose meterthen measures concentration of glucose in the blood sample. The portablehandheld glucose meter then displays the glucose concentration as anumber (or glucose measurement value). As a result, the portablehandheld medical diagnostic devices and their accessories may worktogether to measure the amount of glucose in blood and be used tomonitor blood glucose in one's home, healthcare facility or otherlocation, for example, by persons having diabetes or by a healthcareprofessional.

Health care professionals and patients are taught to look for abnormalglucose patterns related to medications, diet and activity and identifythe causes and successful resolution of cases of hypoglycemia orextended hyperglycemia. To enable this process, patients may eithermanually or automatically (via a portable handheld glucose meter oralternative electronic device) record and track diabetes relatedinformation. These logs, taken over an extended period of time, allowpatients and professionals alike to look back at and analyze glucoseinformation. Traditionally, log books chronologically relate informationto a time in the day by recording when the information were taken. Thiscan allow for patients with routine and predictable habits to overlayinformation from multiple days and observe the variation in glucoselevels around a routine event. For example, one may overlay a weeksworth of data taken between breakfast and two hours after breakfast toexamine the role that meal plays on an individual.

While such practices allow for the study of routine habitualundertakings, it is ineffective for analyzing sporadic events that occurinfrequently or irregularly. Overlaying measurement sets for repetitioustime frames fails to account for events such as exercise, illness,stress, snacking, hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia that can arise atanytime and for any duration. Thus, it may be desirable to provide analternative method of displaying diabetic information to account forirregular or infrequent events.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a method for displaying diabetes related informationincludes receiving a request for an event-aligned display of diabetesrelated information based on an event. The method further includessearching for a plurality of tagged occurrences of the event andretrieving an information set for each of the plurality of taggedoccurrences. Each information set includes diabetes related informationchronologically related to the tagged occurrence. The method may theninclude displaying the retrieved information sets on a display, whereinthe retrieved information sets are shown on the display aligned by theirtagged occurrences such that all diabetes related information ispositioned relative the event based on its chronological relationshipwith the event.

In another embodiment, a device for searching, filtering and displayingevent-aligned information sets related to diabetes is disclosed. Thedevice includes a display, an input terminal for making a request for anevent-aligned display of diabetes related information based on an event,and memory for storing the diabetes related information andinstructions. The device further includes a processor in communicationwith the memory and operable to execute the instructions, theinstructions causing the processor to search for a plurality of taggedoccurrences of the event and retrieve an information set for each of thetagged occurrences based on the request, the information sets includediabetes related information chronologically related to the taggedoccurrences, and to display on the display such retrieved informationsets wherein the retrieved information sets are aligned by their taggedoccurrences such that all diabetes related information is positionedrelative the event based on its chronological relationship with theevent.

In still yet another embodiment, a method allows for displaying diabetesrelated information. The method includes determining an event and a timeframe for analysis, requesting an event-aligned display of diabetesrelated information based on the event and the time frame via an inputdevice of a device having a display, a processor and memory, wherein theevent is entered via the input device, the processor searches the memoryfor a plurality of tagged occurrences of the event within the timeframe, retrieves an information set for each of the plurality of taggedoccurrences, each information set including diabetes related informationchronologically related to the tagged occurrence, and displays theretrieved information sets on the display, the information sets beingaligned by their tagged occurrences such that all diabetes relatedinformation is positioned relative the event based on theirchronological relationship with the event.

In another embodiment, a graphical user interface (GUI) for displayingevent-aligned information sets on a device with a display is disclosed.The GUI comprises a graph area; a date range list box; wherein inresponse to processing of the device on a time frame listed in the daterange list box and a request for an event-aligned display of diabetesrelated information based on an event, information sets are displayed inthe graph area aligned by tagged occurrences of the event within thetime frame such that all diabetes related information are positionedrelative the event based on their chronological relationship with theevent.

These and other advantages and features of the invention disclosedherein, will be made more apparent from the description, drawings andclaims that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the embodiments of the presentinvention can be best understood when read in conjunction with thefollowing drawings, where like structure is indicated with likereference numerals, and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a logistical flowchart of obtaining information setscorrelated with event occurrences according to one or more embodimentsshown or described herein;

FIG. 2 depicts a logistical flowchart for displaying event-alignedinformation sets according to one or more embodiments shown or describedherein;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) displayaccording to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 4 depicts a GUI display visualizing event-aligned information setsaccording to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5A depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a plus-six hour window according to one or moreembodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5B depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a minus-one to a plus-five hour window according toone or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5C depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a minus-two to a plus-four hour window according toone or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5D depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a minus-three to a plus-three hour window accordingto one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5E depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a minus-four to a plus-two hour window according toone or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5F depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a minus-five to a plus-one hour window according toone or more embodiments shown or described herein; and

FIG. 5G depicts a GUI display visualizing an event-referencedinformation set with a minus-six hour window according to one or moreembodiments shown or described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to searching,filtering and displaying event-aligned information sets related todiabetes. Patients may wear devices that periodically monitor fordiabetes related measurements, and may input test results or otherdiabetes related information into a common database. Despite the methodof collecting information, all information may be identified by the timeit was taken. Operators may then search through the information databaseto identify information sets chronologically related to specific eventsso that a plurality of information sets related to a common type ofevent may be compared and analyzed.

Referring to FIG. 1, a logistical flowchart 100 is depicted showingevents 110 from which tagged occurrences 120 are obtained as well asobtaining diary records 130 in a diary database 140 from which recordranges 150 are correlated with the tagged occurrences 120 to provideinformation sets 160. A patient may obtain diary records 130 comprisingdiabetes related information from their blood or by recording activityinformation (such as a food record, sport type or medication dosages)that may be relevant to the diagnosis, control or treatment of diabetes.For example, such diary records may include diabetes related informationsuch as glucose levels, glycemic index values, or food, activity ormedication information. The diary records may be taken periodicallythrough manual or automatic testing, continuously through a continuousblood glucose meter, sporadically from hospital visits or by any otherfrequency. The diary records may then be collected and stored in a diarydatabase 140 and may be identified by the time in which they wereobtained. Through identifying the time in which diary records wereobtained, groups of information or measurements (indicated as recordranges 150) taken during specified time frames may be obtained from thediary database 140. For example, a record range 150 may comprise allblood glucose information obtained during a defined four, five or sixhour period, or with some events a series of one or two days before andafter the event. Specifically, record ranges 150 may allow for theinvestigation of the change in diabetes related information such asblood glucose or medication levels during a given time frame.

The occurrence of various events 110 are correlated with obtained diaryrecords 130 to investigate the change in diary records (such as food,activity or medication), during or after an event occurrence. An event110 may mean any activity or condition that may repeat itselfperiodically or sporadically. For example, events 110 may include, butnot be limited to, hypoglycemia, exercise, illness, stress, menstrualstate, meals, test meals, ketosis, therapeutic changes, hyperglycemia,new exercise or the start of a sport season. In order to correlateevents 110 with diary records 130, the events are identified or “tagged”either manually or automatically to define a plurality of taggedoccurrences 120. The tagging of events 110 may occur in a variety offashions. For example, where the event is of the type that the patientvoluntarily engages in an activity (such as exercise or eating), thepatient may manually tag the event themselves. In one embodiment, apatient may enter the event 110 (similar to adding an appointment to acalendar) on their blood glucose monitor, personal digital assistant,laptop, desktop or the like so long as it may be correlated with thediary database 140 either simultaneously or at a later time. In anotherembodiment, such as when a patient wears a continuous glucose meter, thepatient may select the event 110 from a drop-down type menu on thedisplay of the continuous blood glucose meter to enter a time-stamp ofthe event occurrence. In yet another embodiment, a blood glucose metermay comprise a plurality of buttons each relating to a specific eventwherein the patient may select the appropriate event when it occurs. Anyother form of manually tagging of events 110 may otherwise be employedso long as the tagged occurrences 120 may be chronologically compared tothe diary database 140, and in no means are these exemplary embodimentsmeant to be exhaustive.

In the alternative, events 110 may automatically be defined based onexternal conditions or from obtained diary records such as obtainedglucose measurements. For example, a blood glucose meter may comprise acondition detector for detecting external conditions such as movement ortemperature. Where the condition detector detects an event, it mayautomatically tag the event based on its occurrence. For example, ablood glucose meter may comprise an accelerometer to detect extrememovement such as running or other forms for exercise or physicalactivity. A program running on the blood glucose meter may therebyautomatically tag an event of “physical activity” when a signal from theaccelerometer indicates such extreme movement, such as for example, theprogram determines that the signal from the accelerometer exceeds apre-determined acceleration level and/or which continues longer than apredetermined time. As used herein, a program is a set of instructionsthat when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform thestated process or processes.

In another embodiment, events 110 may be based on the examination ofobtained measurements recorded in the diary database. For example, aprogram may automatically tag an event of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemiawhenever an individual's blood glucose falls below or rises above apredetermined value such as 70 mg/dl. Other events for detection mayinclude hyperglycemia or other conditions that may be obtained from theanalysis of blood measurements. Such automatic tagging may occurdynamically as the measurements are obtained, or may occur at a latertime. For example, a program may scan the diary database 140 after aplurality of measurements were obtained to determine when events ofhypoglycemia or hyperglycemia occurred and tag events accordingly. In analternative embodiment, tagged occurrences 120 may be tagged withadditional categorical information such that a variety of searchrequests would find the same event. For example, a search request for“meals” may produce any tagged occurrences of breakfasts, lunches ordinners. Such categorical expansion may be added manually orautomatically when events are tagged.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of tagged occurrences 121,122,123may therefore be correlated with a plurality of record ranges151,152,153 to form a plurality of information sets 161,162,163. Inessence, each information set 160 comprises the information (e.g.,measurements) obtained within a chronological relationship (for example,within three hours) of the event occurrence. The amount of informationor the number of measurements, within each information set 160 and thechronological relationship may be adjustable or otherwise vary as willbecome appreciated below.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary method 200 for displayingevent-aligned information sets is shown. The method 200 may firstcomprise receiving a search request in step 210 from an operator for anevent-aligned display of a plurality of information sets 160. The searchrequest in step 210 may be made from a patient, a physician, alaboratory or any other person or entity that may desire to reviewinformation relevant to diabetes. The search request in step 210 may bethe mere identification of the event to be examined, or may includefurther parameters or variables as the operator sees fit such as theability to exclude certain results or information sets 160. For example,an operator may submit the search request in step 210 for anevent-aligned display of glucose levels within a chronological window ofworkout sessions. In another example, the operator may specify in step210 the boundaries of the chronological window (i.e., how many hoursbefore or after the workout to include), how many workout sessionsshould be retrieved, how far back in time the search should go, orcombinations thereof. The search request in step 210 may be entered onthe blood measurement device itself or may be entered on anothercomputing platform with access to the diary database 140. For example,in one embodiment, the search request in step 210 may be selectedthrough entering an event type from a drop down list. In anotherembodiment, the operator may be able to search for event types and thenselect a specific event type from the applicable results. In yet anotherembodiment, the operator may be able to progress through a survey-styletype of questionnaire where each response limits the amount of events toselect from. For example, the operator may first select physicalactivity and further select outdoor sports. A list of outdoor sports maythen be displayed for an operator to select from so that the searchrequest in step 210 may be formed. Other methods may alternatively existthat allow for the entering of an event to develop the search request instep 210.

Once a search request in step 210 is made, a search for taggedoccurrences of the event is performed in step 220. The search in step220 may be performed in any variety of methods operable to retrieve aplurality of tagged occurrences 120 and may be influenced by the actualsearch request received in step 210. In one embodiment, the search mayanalyze all tagged events starting with the most recent in time andproceed backwards finding all those events matching the search request.For example, where the search request was for “eating,” the search willproceed through all events while filtering out non-matching events suchas “exercise” and “illness.” The search in step 220 may proceed until itfinds a specified number of positive results, until it reaches aspecified point in time or until it reaches the end of all taggedevents. Furthermore, the search in step 220 may comprise searching anexact word or may alternatively comprise selecting a categorical titlefrom a list of options that may return results having different titlesbut relating to a common category (for example, returning “soccerpractice” and “weight lifting” for the categorical title of “physicalactivity”). Any other suitable method for searching may alternatively beemployed in step 220 where it capably identifies tagged occurrences 120relevant to the search request received in step 210.

After the search for tagged occurrences in step 220, information sets160 are obtained based on record ranges 150 in step 230. Specifically,for each tagged occurrence 121,122,123 a record range 151,152,153 isobtained for the given time frame. For example, if tagged occurrence 1(see tagged occurrence 121 in FIG. 1) occurred on a given day at 3 pm,all information such as glucose measurements or food records obtainedfor that same day between 1 pm and 5 pm may be retrieved as record range1 (see record range 151 in FIG. 1). Depending on the default parameters,or the parameters of the search request in step 210, the actualchronological window may be manipulated or adjusted. Tagged occurrence 1(see tagged occurrence 121 in FIG. 1) may be combined with record range1 (see record range 151 in FIG. 1) to form information set 1 (seeinformation set 161 in FIG. 1). Information set 1 may thereby allow foran operator to analyze obtained diary records surrounding an event basedon their chronological relationships. The retrieving of information setsin step 230 may continue until a record range is matched with eachtagged occurrence produced from the search in step 220 or until it isdetermined that no such record range exists.

Once information sets are retrieved, they may be displayed in step 240wherein each information set is aligned by the tagged occurrence. Thatis, for example, diabetes related information in record range 1 takenone hour after tagged occurrence 1 will be aligned with diabetes relatedinformation in record range 2 taken one hour after tagged occurrence 2.Thus, despite tagged occurrences 120 potentially occurring at irregularperiods throughout the days, their relevant record ranges 150 can bealigned and compared. In one embodiment, various parts of the method 200may be repeated or performed in a different order to expand upon oradjust the display of information sets aligned by tagged occurrences.For example, once an initial search request is performed and the resultsare displayed, the operator may modify the search by, for example,manipulating the dates to be searched or expanding the amount of resultsto be retrieved. Accordingly, the exemplary method 200 may repeat itselfin part or in its entirety to fulfill the modified search request solong as it results in displaying information sets aligned by taggedoccurrences. Alternatively, once information sets are retrieved in step230, an individual information set 250 may be displayed in step 250.This may allow for a more detailed examination of an individualinformation set as will become appreciated later herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) 300for displaying event-aligned information sets is shown. The GUI 300 maybe integrated with a device 302 or may comprise a generic visual formatused as a template for computer based programs. For example, in oneembodiment, a device 302 may comprise the GUI 300 provided on a display301, a processor 304, memory 306 and one or more input terminals 308,309 operably connected together and powered by a suitable power supply(not shown). The processor 304 may process information such as searchrequests or searching/filtering algorithms. The memory 306 may beoperable to store the programs mentioned earlier and in sectionshereafter, program instructions which cause the processor 304 to performthe steps of method 100, and information such as the diary database 140,tagged occurrences 120, previous search requests or operatorpreferences. The input terminal 308 may comprise any mechanism forinputting data, operator feedback or other information for routinehandling by the processor of the device. For example, in one embodimentthe device 302 may comprise an input terminal for receiving informationand another input terminal for operator communication such as a keyboardor a touch screen. In addition, examples of routine handling may includethe processor 304 storing input received via the input terminal 308 intothe memory 306, retrieving information from the memory 306 based oninput received via the input terminal 308, like a request for an event,transforming such retrieved information into a different form or state,and/or displaying the transformed information via the GUI 300 on thedisplay 301. In another embodiment, the device 302 may be part of aninformation system, generally indicated by symbol 390, such as, forexample, where a server 391 provides instructions and stores informationsuch as the diary database 140. In such an embodiment, the server 391may communicate either directly or over a network 392, e.g., LAN, WAN,Internet, and the like, with the device 302 via communications hardware309 enabling wired and/or wireless communications therewith. As thecommunication hardware 309, server 391, and network 392 are conventionaland well understood by those skilled in the art, no further discussionis provided.

In one particular embodiment, the processor 304 is in communication withthe memory 306 (and/or server 391) and operable to execute instructionsstored therein. The instructions when executed by the processor 304cause the processor to search for a plurality of tagged occurrences 120of an event 110 received via a request inputted via the input terminal308, and to retrieve an information set 160 for each of the taggedoccurrences based on the request. In one embodiment, the informationsets 160 comprise diabetes related information chronologically relatedto the tagged occurrences 120. The instructions further cause theprocessor 304 to format and display on the display 301 the retrievedinformation sets 160, wherein the retrieved information sets are alignedby their tagged occurrences 120. In one embodiment, the format is suchthat all diabetes related information is positioned relative to theevent 110 based on its chronological relationship with the event.

In other embodiments, the device 302 which employs such programs and theGUI 300 mentioned herein may be, but not be limited to, the bloodglucose meter mentioned in earlier sections, a personal digitalassistant (PDAs), a cell phone, a smart phone, an electronic logbook orany other computing device such as a laptop, a desktop or web-basedcomputing platform. In still another embodiment, the GUI 300 may beaccessed through a program capable of being installed on or accessed byvarious computers, hand held devices or the like. Furthermore, the GUI300 may comprise a full color screen, a black and white screen, amonochromatic screen or any other color variation. The display 301 maycomprise a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a cathode raytube (CRT), a projection display or any alternative technology operableto display information sets 160 for an operator.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the GUI 300 may generally comprise variousfeatures such as, but not limited to a graph area 310, a device title320, a report name 330, a date range list box 340, a from/to datedisplay 350, a menu 360 or any combination thereof. Additional featuresfor displaying relevant information pertinent to the operator mayfurther be provided throughout the GUI 300. Furthermore, each displayfeature may comprise a graphical area about the GUI 300 or may bepositioned proximate reference indicia adjacent the GUI 300 for aidingin the interpretation of display information. Display features mayadditionally be customizable in their overall size, position, appearanceor existence as an operator sees fit.

The graph area 310 may be used for visualizing information sets asdiscussed above. For example, a plurality of information sets may beoverlaid atop one another (and aligned by tagged occurrences) in thegraph area 310. Depending on the type of display, the graph area 310 maybe full color, black and white or any variation. In one embodiment, theoperator may selectively manipulate the visual appearance settings ofthe graph area 310 such as, for example, the brightness, contrast orheight-to-width ratio. The device title 320 may display informationabout the display such as the make or model of the glucose meter used totake information or, if distinct, the device presently used to displaythe information. The report name 330 may display information pertainingto the displayed information sets or search request. For example, wherethe operator can save a search request, the report name 330 may displayits title such as the date the search request was made. The date rangelist box 340 may display various date ranges the operator may select fordisplay. For example, the date range list box 340 may comprise a dropdown list from which the operator may selectively pick various dateranges Likewise, the from/to date display 350 may display informationregarding the date parameters of the search or the date parameters ofthe displayed information sets. A menu 360 feature may also be providedabout the GUI 300 providing access to further options for displaymanipulation.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) 400is shown comprising multiple information sets 490 b overlaid on a commongraph 410 and aligned by their tagged occurrences at an event indicator475. The graph area 410 comprises an independent axis 470 (the x-axis)and a dependant axis 480 (the y-axis) indicating the chronological timelapse and blood glucose level respectively. The independent axis 470further comprises the event indicator 475 that represents when thetagged event occurred and the amount of time lapsed either before orafter the event. As discussed above, events may include hypoglycemia,exercise, illness, stress, menstrual state, meals, test meals, ketosis,therapeutic changes, hyperglycemia, new exercise or the start of a sportseason and may be either manually or automatically generated. Thedependent axis 480 further comprises a label 481 indicating the datashown. Specific to FIG. 4, the dependant axis 480 shows blood glucose(or bG); however, alternative measurements may be shown as discussedabove such as ingested medication amounts such as the glycemic index(GI). The GUI 400 further comprises a title 430 and additional featuresdispersed about the graph area 410.

Within the graph area 410, four information sets 490 b are shown basedon events of hypoglycemia. Specifically, as indicated by reference line495, all four information sets 490 b were produced from tagged events ofhypoglycemia, or where the bG level dropped below about 70 mg/dl, andaligned about the event indicator 475. The information sets 490 bcomprise information within ±3 hours of the tagged event and arereferenced by the legend 490 a. In one embodiment, each individualinformation set 490 b may be selectively removed from the graph area410. For example, where the display providing the GUI 400 is a touchscreen display, an operator may selectively touch an information set inthe legend (see measurement sets 491 a, 492 a, 493 a, 494 a) to removeits corresponding information set in the graph area (see measurementsets 491 b, 492 b, 493 b, 494 b). Furthermore, forward arrow 477 andbackwards arrow 476 may be selected to cycle through individualinformation sets. Alternatively, the forward arrow 477 and backwardsarrow 476 may be selected to advance or retreat the display in time.Depending on the searching method employed, the obtained measurementsfrom the diary records may already be obtained for display, or amodified search may be required to obtain the desired information. Thefrom/to date display 450 may alternatively be used to adjust whichinformation sets 490 b are displayed or how to modify the initialsearch. Other alternative display manipulation features may include theability to change the type of event shown 440 or adjust other visualfeatures within the menu 460.

In one embodiment, an operator may wish to focus in on a singleinformation set or otherwise display additional related information onthe same GUI display. Referring to FIGS. 5A-5G, a series of GUI displays1100-1700 are shown displaying the first four information sets 491 bwith the event indicator 475 and the reference line 495 wherein thedisplay area is progressively scrolled backwards in time to seeadditional information relating to the tagged event. Specifically, FIG.5A shows the information set 491 b with all other information setsremoved from the display area. Additional obtained information may alsobe displayed about the graph area and referenced by values on theright-hand axis. Initially, as seen in FIG. 5A, obtained diary recordsfor the time frame of the event plus six hours are shown. The event thenprogresses from left-to-right in one hour increments until theinformation is shown for the event minus six hours (see FIG. 5G). Thismay allow for an operator to better focus their analysis on anindividual information set.

It should now be understood that diabetes related information sets maybe aligned by event occurrences for the analysis of informationsurrounding occurrences of sporadic or inconsistent events. The abovedescription and drawings are only to be considered illustrative ofexemplary embodiments, which achieve the features and advantages of thepresent invention. Modification and substitutions to specific processsteps, system, and setup can be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is not tobe considered as being limited by the foregoing description anddrawings, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying diabetes related information comprising: determining an event and a time frame for analysis; and requesting an event-aligned display of diabetes related information based on the event and the time frame via an input device of a device having a display, a processor and memory, wherein the event is entered via the input device, the processor searches the memory for a plurality of tagged occurrences of the event within the time frame, retrieves an information set for each of the plurality of tagged occurrences, each information set comprises diabetes related information chronologically related to the tagged occurrence, and displays the retrieved information sets on the display, the information sets being aligned by their tagged occurrences such that all diabetes related information is positioned relative to the event based on its chronological relationship with the event.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the event is entered through selecting the event from a dropdown display listing a plurality of events.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a number of tagged occurrences for analysis.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising selectively adding or removing individual information sets.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising scrolling the display forwards or backwards in time.
 6. A graphical user interface for displaying event-aligned information sets on a device with a display, comprising: a graph area; a date range list box; wherein: in response to processing of the device on a time frame listed in the date range list box and a request for an event-aligned display of diabetes related information based on an event, information sets are displayed in the graph area aligned by tagged occurrences of the event within the time frame such that all diabetes related information are positioned relative the event based on their chronological relationship with the event.
 7. The graphical user interface of claim 6 wherein the graph area comprises an independent axis and a dependant axis indicating chronological time lapse and blood glucose level, respectively, as the information sets.
 8. The graphical user interface of claim 7 wherein the independent axis of the graph area further comprises an event indicator that represents when the event occurred and the amount of time lapsed either before or after the event.
 9. The graphical user interface of claim 7 wherein the dependent axis further comprises a label indicating the information sets shown in the graph area.
 10. The graphical user interface of claim 9 wherein the label is one of blood glucose (bG).
 11. The graphical user interface of claim 9 wherein four information sets based on the event can be shown in the graph area.
 12. The graphical user interface of claim 6 wherein the information sets shown in the graph area comprise information within ±3 hours of the event and are referenced by a legend in the graph area.
 13. The graphical user interface of claim 6 wherein each of the information sets may be selectively removed from the graph area.
 14. The graphical user interface of claim 6 further comprises a forward arrow and a backwards arrow which may be selected to cycle through the information sets displayed in the graph area. 